1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to fuel gas generators for internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Fuel systems for internal combustion engines have generally used carburetors in which gasoline is sprayed into a stream of air and divided into a series of fine droplets approaching vaporization and conveyed to the point of combustion. Several attempts to improve vaporization may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,968,775 and 4,112,889 wherein typical prior art devices are disclosed. The devices disclosed in these patents were unable to supply a gaseous fuel to an internal combustion engine under all operating conditions. Improved prior art devices for generating and controlling hot fuel gases may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,538, 4,050,419, 4,114,566, 4,145,998, 4,197,819 and 4,333,422. The inventions disclosed in this group of patents introduced water with the liquid fuel and attempted to simultaneously vaporize the same. Devices formed in accordance with these several patents perform satisfactorily under ideal operating conditions, but were frequently ineffective due to the condensation of the liquid fuel vapor and the steam into droplets which resulted in incomplete combustion of the fuel mixture and occasional stalling of the internal combustion engines equipped with the devices.
The present invention relates to a hot fuel gas generator in the form of a hollow body through which hot exhaust gas from the equipped internal combustion engine is directed prior to its delivery to the conventional exhaust system. A secondary hollow body is disposed within the first mentioned hollow body and positioned out of contact with the walls thereof and a baffle is arranged in the first mentioned hollow body to direct the hot exhaust gases thereabout. Finned tube heat exchangers are positioned within the first hollow body directly in the path of the hot exhaust gases and the tubes of the finned tube heat exchangers extend into the secondary hollow body and communicate with the interior thereof through a plurality of openings formed in the tubes within the second hollow body. A delivery tube communicates with the second hollow body and extends therefrom in an insulating jacket to a mechanical valve controlling access to an adaptor plate engaged on the inlet opening of an inlet manifold on the equipped internal combustion engine. The novel hot fuel gas generator separately vaporizes a liquid hydrocarbon, such as gasoline, and water in the finned tube heat exchangers and delivers the vaporized hydrocarbon and superheated steam into the secondary hollow body about which the hot exhaust gases are circulating to achieve a desirable mixing of the expanding vaporized gasoline and superheated steam which is thus appropriately mixed and delivered by the delivery tube to the internal combustion engine.